Non-Gaussianity in Cosmic Microwave Background Temperature Fluctuations from Cosmic (Super-)Strings

TL;DR

This paper analytically models the small-scale temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background caused by cosmic (super-)strings, highlighting how non-Gaussian features depend on string intercommuting probability and matching numerical simulations.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical model for CMB fluctuations from cosmic strings, including a probability distribution function that accounts for observational resolution and string properties.

Findings

Gaussian part of fluctuations aligns with simulations

Non-Gaussian tail depends on phenomenological parameters

Non-Gaussian features diminish as intercommuting probability decreases

Abstract

We compute analytically the small-scale temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background from cosmic (super-)strings and study the dependence on the string intercommuting probability $P$. We develop an analytical model which describes the evolution of a string network and calculate the numbers of string segments and kinks in a horizon volume. Then we derive the probability distribution function (pdf) which takes account of finite angular resolution of observation. The resultant pdf consists of a Gaussian part due to frequent scatterings by long string segments and a non-Gaussian tail due to close encounters with kinks. The dispersion of the Gaussian part is reasonably consistent with that obtained by numerical simulations by Fraisse et al.. On the other hand, the non-Gaussian tail contains two phenomenological parameters which are determined by comparison with the numerical results for P=1. Extrapolating the pdf to the cases with $P<1$, we predict that the non-Gaussian feature is suppressed for small $P$.